


The One Where Rhodey is Tony's Weakness

by JinxQuickfoot



Series: Weaknesses [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Canon Disabled Character, Friendship, Gen, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Kidnapping, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23238214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxQuickfoot/pseuds/JinxQuickfoot
Summary: “Do you know what is in that needle, Mr Stark?”Tony shook his head.“It is a chemical compound that, when injected into Colonel Rhodes’ spinal column, will render him paralysed from the neck down.”----------------------------------------------------------------------------When masked kidnappers take Rhodey and Tony hostage, Tony is forced to confront his guilt about Rhodey's injury during Civil War.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Weaknesses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672462
Comments: 14
Kudos: 156
Collections: Weaknesses





	The One Where Rhodey is Tony's Weakness

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 of the "Weaknesses" writing challenge. 
> 
> Gonna write 30 pairings in 30 days because hey we’re in quarantine, so why not?  
> 
> 
> [Come say hi on Tumblr - I take requests!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jinxquickfoot)

_Shoot to thrill, play to kill_  
_Too many women with too many pills_  
_Shoot to thrill, play to kill I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will…_  
  
_You don’t still listen to that stuff, do you?_

Rhodey’s voice echoed in Tony’s head, making him smile as he bent over his latest project. The smile vanished as he remembered the last time he had seen his old friend. Rhodey had been surrounded by white-clad physiotherapists, sweat pouring down his forehead as they guided him through the vigorous daily rehabilitation routine. He had walked away, feeling as if he had intruded on something intimate that he shouldn’t have seen.

Tony and Rhodey had been friends since MIT and had only grown closer since the events in Afghanistan had led to them fighting side-by-side as Iron Man and War Machine. Well, mostly side-by-side. Tony winced as he remembered the argument that had led to blows at his birthday - his last birthday, he had thought at the time.

It wouldn’t be the last time he fought someone he considered a friend. 

_I'm gonna take you down - yeah, down, down, down_  
_So don't you fool around I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger_  
  
“F.R.I.D.A.Y., turn it up.” Tony leaned in closer to the mechanical braces on his workbench. Rhodey wasn’t broken - not permanently. Tony could fix him. He was _Tony Stark_. He could fix anything.

He could almost feel the flip phone burning a hole in his pocket.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., max volume. Turn on mosh pit protocols.”

“Right away, Boss.”

Tony sighed, leaning back and letting the blaring music fill his head, safe in the knowledge that the state of the art soundproofing wouldn’t wake Pepper. He assumed she was asleep by now; she was usually in bed by midnight.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., what’s the time?”

“4:39 am, Boss.”

 _Well, damn._ “Burning the midnight oil,” Tony muttered to himself. He should go to bed. Pepper was always annoyed when he showed up grumpy and sleep-deprived the next day, especially when he had meetings. Did he have meetings? God, he hoped not. He’d usually try and wriggle out of them but he had been on his best behaviour since Pepper had moved back in.

_She deserves better than you._

Tony shook away the discerning voice he was no longer sure was his father’s or his own. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., do I have any meetings tomorrow that may need a couple of hours of sleep?” He looked at the mechanical brace. He’d made good progress. He was so close…a couple more hours and he’d at least have something to show Rhodey, to get him out of bed in something other than that chair…

 _Wait,_ _did F.R.I.D.A.Y. answer?_ He really was tired. Or just getting older.

“Sorry Fri, say that again?” This time, he forced himself to pay attention to an answer that didn’t come. The AC/DC suddenly shut off.

“Is that you telling me to go to bed, Fri? Because I know I was just thinking that but still, I gotta say, I kind of resent that kind of helicopter A.I.-ing. Fri?”

All the lights in the lab shut off. Tony already had a hand stretched out, summoning a suit, when his head suddenly became very heavy and wouldn’t it be nice if he just closed his eyes, just for a second…

***

Tony woke with a groan. _Please don’t be kidnapped again,_ he thought as he fought to open his eyes. _I promised Pepper. And I have to fix…_

The floor pressed against his cheek looked familiar. The floor of his workshop. _Ok,_ _that’s_ _good_. Did he pass out? _Not good._

Something round and cold pressed against his head as he pushed himself to his knees. He tested his hands - zip-tied behind his back. _Definitely not_ _good._

“I did not get kidnapped in my own fucking workshop.”

The statement was met with a low chuckle. “If we took you somewhere, they would look for you.” The voice was cold and strangely accent-less. “But everyone knows Tony Stark does not like to be disturbed while he’s working.”

“That’s never stopped Pepper before.” The words were out of his mouth before Tony realised what he was saying.

The man holding the gun must have felt him tense. “Miss Potts departed for her business trip early this morning.”

Tony winced even as relief coursed through him. He hadn’t remembered, hadn’t said goodbye…shit, he didn’t even remember where she was going or for how long.

_You don’t deserve her._

“So just me and you then?” Tony said. “People usually book an appointment.”

“You are a busy man. And we are not patient people.”

Tony took in the situation. With the gun keeping his eyes on the floor, he couldn't see how many there were, but people implied more than one. And they had been prepared enough to get past his security, past F.R.I.D.A.Y…

Shit. Nobody got past F.R.I.D.A.Y.

“Is it money? Because I can’t touch a thing without F.R.I.D.A.Y., and she has protocols if she gets shut down by someone other than me. And if you’re expecting a ransom, we have protocols for that too.”

“We are not after something as common as money, Mr Stark.”

“My tech then? Same deal. Nothing can be authorised without F.R.I.D.A.Y. And if you shut her down without my say-so, she stays that way for forty-eight hours. And since you were bright enough to kidnap me in my own workshop, I’m going to say that's not time you have.”

“We are not going to wait for forty-eight hours, Mr Stark. You must have an emergency protocol to restart your A.I. yes? You are going to give us access to your blueprints and designs _now_.”

Tony sighed. Torture fucking sucked. Pepper was going to kill him. “Get on with it then.”

He felt the gunman pause, confused. “Whatever hellish hurt you’re going to rain down on me. The teeth-pulling or the water-boarding or whatever new torture craze is hip with the evil kiddies this month. Or I could save us all a bunch of time and tell you, upfront, that there is no way you’re getting your hands on a single one of my designs.” _My work has already done enough damage to the world._

“Indeed, we have some new tricks, Mr Stark. But we did not say we would be using them on you.” The gun left the back of his head, and Tony was finally free to look up and take in the situation around him. Three of them. All in creepy, blank white masks. The one holding the gun on him, and two more with guns on…

 _No_. Colonel James Rhodes sat up as best he could with his hands bound behind him, a thick cloth wrapped around his mouth preventing him from speaking. His eyes locked with Tony’s and Tony could read the message there. _Don’t give them a thing, Tones._

The lead gunman walked to where Tony could see him and levelled the gun at Rhodey. “Give us access to your designs, Mr Stark. Please.”

“Kill him and I’ll give you nothing.”

The leader nodded. “I thought as much.” He nodded to one of the other masks, who reached into his coat and brought out a small black case. When he popped it open, Tony saw a large needle. Panic alarms started ringing in his brain. _Don’t touch him don’t touch him don’t touch him…_

Hadn’t Rhodey already suffered enough because of him?

“Do you know what is in that needle, Mr Stark?” Tony shook his head. “It is a chemical compound that, when injected into Colonel Rhodes’ spinal column, will render him paralysed from the neck down.”

Tony froze. _No no no no no…_

“It is a simple choice, Mr Stark. Elegant even. Give us access to the codes, or…” The tip of the needle was placed against the back of Rhodey’s neck. Rhodey’s eyes never left Tony, and the resolve in them remained. _Don’t do it._

Tony knew he shouldn’t. Knew what kind of devastation handing over his plans to criminals would do to the world. Knew that risking all that for one person was madness.

_Like Rogers did for Barnes._

“No?” The leader sighed. “A shame. You are a good man, Colonel Rhodes. I am very sorry about this.” He waved his hand and the man holding the needle began to push it into Rhodey’s neck.

“Stop!”

They all paused, looking at Tony. Tony’s eyes were on the ground, unable to look his best friend in the eye, not wanting to face the disappointment there. “I’ll do it. Just…don't hurt him."

Rhodey yelled something into the gag, but Tony’s eyes were on the leader. “A good choice, Mr Stark.” He bent down behind Tony and cut away the zip-tie holding his hands together. There was a brief moment where Tony knew he could have grabbed him, flipped him over his shoulder, used him as a shield against the other two and maybe…

The needle still firmly pressed against Rhodey’s neck stopped those thoughts in their tracks. The leader seemed to sense his thought process as he helped Tony to his feet because when they were standing he levelled his gun at Rhodey. “Don’t,” Tony growled.

“A little extra insurance. Now, please restart your A.I.”

_Come on, Stark. Think._

“Hey, Fri. It’s me. False alarm. You can open up again. Get J.A.R.V.I.S. too, while you’re at it.” _Please let this work. Please._

“I am online.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S. too?”

There was a brief pause. “J.A.R.V.I.S. is also online.”

Tony let out the breath he was holding. “Good girl.”

Tony turned to the leader. “Was there something in particular you were after? A suit design? Or the arc reactor, that’s a top hit amongst you criminal types.”

“All of it.”

Tony couldn’t bite back the laugh. “All of it? Do you know how much all of it even is, Michael Myers? Even if I had Fri print you all the blueprints it would literally take days - not to mention the number of trucks or planes or whatever it would take to transport it out of here.”

For the first time, the leader seemed to hesitate. “The weapons.”

“Ok, slightly more reasonable. Every weapon ever? Sure, give us a week and maybe a quinjet, I could probably get that to you.” When he got no answer, he plowed on. “Please don’t tell me that you were smart enough to break in here, kidnap both Iron Man and War Machine and shut down F.R.I.D.A.Y., but were too thick to think this part through. Because seriously-”

The leader flicked the safety off the gun still pointed at Rhodey and Tony shut up. “You will speak when spoken too, Mr Stark.” Tony bit back the witty retort on the tip on his tongue. Being quiet was not his strong suit. _Think about Rhodey, you selfish jerk._

“Better.” The leader paused, obviously trying to work this out. He didn’t have long to think. Tony saw it coming before he did and dropped just as a beam of yellow light disintegrated the gun in the leader’s hand. The men in masks were yelling but Tony was already throwing himself at Rhodey, knocking the needle away from his neck and keeping him pinned to the ground as the fight broke out around them, using his own body as a shield.

It was a short fight. When quiet fell, Tony looked up to see Vision standing calmly over three unconscious bodies. “I assume this is what you meant when you asked for J.A.R.V.I.S., Boss?”

“You’re a gem, Fri.” Tony gave Vision a nod of thanks as he clambered off Rhodey, pulling the gag out of his mouth. “Are you ok?”

“They couldn’t have waited a couple more hours? It's fucking 5 am. I need some beauty sleep.”

“All the beauty sleep in the world ain't going to help you, Platypus.”

“You’re the worst, Tones.”

“I know.”

Rhodey’s eyes widened. “I was joking. I didn’t mean-”

“I called in reinforcements, Boss. They should be here in under sixty seconds.”

“I’d better deal with the clean-up, crew.” Tony got to his feet, automatically reaching out to give Rhodey a hand up too, then wincing.

“Perhaps I can give Colonel Rhodes some assistance?”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Vis, you can call me Rhodey. We’ve been through this.”

Tony hated himself for being relieved when the back-up came through the door, so he had a reason to look away from the android hoisting Rhodey into a fireman’s hold, and carrying him out of the room.

***

“How do they feel?”

Rhodey tested out the new braces, tentatively making his way from one side of the workshop to the other. “Weird,” he admitted. “But not bad weird,” he added quickly. “Just…different.”

Tony crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. “Any feedback? I added the air-conditioning units, so they shouldn’t heat up now.”

“Tones-”

“And these aren’t really finished. I have some more ideas that I can try.”

“Tony-“

“This is really still a prototype. A work in progress.”

“TONY!”

Rhodey made his way across the room, already moving easier as he adjusted to the braces. He laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “They’re great. Thank you. Unnecessary, but thank you anyway.”

Tony blinked. “I’m sorry, did you just call one of my inventions unnecessary?”

“It’s not that I’m not grateful, Tones. I am. I know how much time you put into this. But I would have been fine without them. _I’m not broken._ I’m just a little different now.” On seeing that Tony didn’t have a response, he grinned. “Speechless Tony Stark. I got to say, I don’t mind it.”

The grin slipped away as he turned serious. "138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought.”

“Maybe this one didn’t. Maybe-”

“It wasn’t your fault, Tony.”

“If Rogers and I hadn’t...If _I_ hadn’t-”

“It wasn’t your fault, Tony.”

“If I had just been faster-”

“Tony. It wasn't your fault.”

“Jesus, are you auditioning for Good Will Hunting?”

Rhodey grinned. “Is this the part where you break down in my arms and all is forgiven?”

Tony blinked away the film of tears, hoping Rhodey hadn’t seen, but one look at his best friend told him he had. Rhodey squeezed his shoulder. “I would have taken that needle. And I wouldn’t have blamed you for a second.”

“That’s why I’m the smart one.”

Rhodey shook his head. “I can’t get you to stop blaming yourself. But at least know that I don’t blame you. For anything. Well,” he added. “For some things. Like turning up to my graduation so hungover I barely made it across the stage.”

“I did not make you do anything you didn’t want to do.”

Rhodey gestured with his hands in a passable impression of Tony. “One drink, Rhodes! Just one drink. It’ll be fun!”

“It was fun!”

“Says you. I barely remember it.”

“Then you’re just going to have to trust me, aren’t you?” 

Rhodey smiled. “I do. Trust you.”

“Will you back off with that? You have exceeded my quota for mushy talk for the day. No, the week. Try again next Wednesday. F.R.I.D.A.Y. will pencil you in.”

“No, she won’t.”

Tony grinned. “No, she won’t.” A comfortable silence fell between the two friends, which Tony broke. “So. Grab a drink?”

“Tony, no-”

“Just one drink.”

“It’s never just one drink with you.”

“This time it is. Trust me.”

**Author's Note:**

> So hey, I have this film and screenwriting podcast? It's called "Kill the Cat" and once a month my co-host and I and break down one of our favourite movies or tv shows and look at why they work, including Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and, of course, the MCU.
> 
> You can check it out on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ypaen3yM5Q&t=1s&ab_channel=KilltheCatPodcast), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5hCprc9UCBZP4srFrBXKT1?si=ZOqdhMlVQvqV2fG5PxuvOA), or anywhere you listen to podcasts. 
> 
> And hey. You're doing great.


End file.
